Research: Sickness absence in the labour market: 2016
Key findings:
- An estimated 137.3 million working days were lost due to sickness or injury in the UK in 2016. This is equivalent to 4.3 days per worker.
- Since 2003, there has been a general decline in the number of days lost to sickness absence.
- Minor illnesses were the most common reason for sickness absence. This was followed by musculoskeletal problems. After ‘other’ conditions, mental health issues were the next most common reason for sickness absence.
- The groups who experienced the highest rates of sickness absence were women, older workers, those with long-term health conditions, smokers, public health sector workers and those working in the largest organisations.
